Houston car lovers get charged up at EV show

Houston may represent the oil and gas capital of the world, but increasingly electric vehicles are dotting the city’s sprawling highways.

The Houston Electric Auto Association is touting the practicality of driving EVs in Texas for National Drive Electric Week with a series of car shows throughout the area, including one Saturday at Evelyn’s Park. Teslas and other EVs aren’t just environmentally friendly and arguably cheaper long-term from the gasoline savings, advocates say, they’re also great for car buffs, tech gurus and tinkerers who value performance.

John Atwood, a self-described turbocharged car fan, got into EV conversion projects several years ago after seeing Tesla models dominate competitors in drag races. He bought a 1972 Nissan Datsun and converted it into an EV with used parts, including Tesla battery modules. Counting the used car purchase, the project cost him about $15,000 he said.

“I’m a car guy. I appreciate the environmental aspect, but I really love the performance,” Atwood said.

Electric vehicle penetration is still only about 3 percent of new car sales in the United States and 1 percent worldwide, although some smaller countries such as Norway have surpassed 50 percent. But the trends are rapidly changing and more EV options come out with cheaper price tags.

By 2032, half of new car sales globally will be electric, according to a new report from the Norwegian energy research and consulting firm DNV GL. Europe will get there more quickly, while the United States might lag a little behind.

Houston Electric Auto Association Vice President Robert Sanchez is big into the environmental friendliness, relying on electricity from wind and solar, as well as cleaner-burning natural gas. It’s more effective when owners have solar panels on their roof, he said.

“We’re all about the electrification of the transportation system,” Sanchez said. “This is the wave of the future. It’s so much better for the environment and the pocketbook.”

Saturday’s show in Bellaire featured a lot of Tesla models, as well as Chevrolet Volts and Bolts, Nissan Leafs, BMW i3s, Kia Niros, Hyundai Konas and more.

Sanchez, who drives a Chevy Volt, held out on buying an EV until a couple of years ago because of concerns about the upfront costs and the long-range driving issues. But those issues have rapidly dissipated, he said.

For instance, Tesla driver Darrell Spice Jr. bought in once he mapped out and realized he could drive from Houston to Wisconsin to visit his family using Tesla’s growing network of supercharging stations. The 1,300-mile trek took him only about an hour longer than it would otherwise, he said.

Bill Swann, a retired mechanical engineer, has driven EVs for almost 25 years dating back to the little-known Solectria cars from the 1990s. He now drives a Nissan Leaf.

“We’re on the cusp of a big revolution,” Swann said. “We’re already beyond the tipping point.”

Collin Lowen got into EVs and is now a devoted Tesla driver because of his love of engines and technology. He has two newer models, but showcased his 2010 Tesla Roadster.

“Combustion engines were kind of perfected and done,” he said. “It’s time for what’s next.”

And he’s increasingly become more environmentally conscious and concerned about climate change. “I have grandchildren,” he said.

Next Saturday will feature EV shows at the IKEA off of Interstate 10, The Church of Holy Apostles in Katy and the Harvest Green Farmers Market in Richmond. The IKEA event will have the new Jaguar I-Pace on display.

Jordan Blum is a senior energy reporter at the Houston Chronicle since 2015. He has extensively covered the industry from the 2014 bust in oil prices to the more recent boom in West Texas’ Permian Basin. He has written about everything from Texas’ national lead in renewable wind power to the Houston area’s growing dominance in petrochemical and plastics manufacturing.

Previously, Jordan was an award-winning reporter at The Advocate in Baton Rouge and New Orleans as a statehouse reporter and education writer, and then as the newspaper’s Washington Bureau chief. Jordan is a New Orleans native who graduated from Texas Christian University with a journalism degree before going back to work at daily newspapers in Louisiana.